Planning Step 3Brainstorming

Step 2Choosing the

issue

Step 1Choosing the Study Theme

Step 6Introduction

Context

Step 4What research

methods?

Step 5Drawing up

a plan orstructure

Step 7Introduction

Aims

Step 8Description &justification of

RMs The Dissertation

Planning Step 3 - Mind Map

Step 3Brainstorming

Making a mind map

Having decided on your issue, you need tothink about how you are going to carry

out your research.

A good way to do this is to construct a mind map.

In the centre of an A3 sheet of paper, writedown your hypothesis.

Connect your ideas to the hypothesis usinglines.

Revisit your mind map in the course of yourresearch and amend it.

Brainstorming method

‘’It is the electoral systems

themselves, not the political parties,

which are to blame for low turnouts in

the UK and USA’’

UK electoral systemVoter trends in the USA

Voter trends in the UK

Partisan de-alignment

Causes of voter apathy

Changes in support for UK political

parties.

Centrist politics

Issue voting

Rise in pressure group participation and activity

Quality of leadership

Impact of the mediaDifferences in political

ideology between political parties.

A Mind Map